


coall (return)

by SudokuOcaton



Category: Ar tonelico
Genre: F/M, Hymmnos, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, These two are really cute together, don't really have a plan for this, just writing cause I feel like it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SudokuOcaton/pseuds/SudokuOcaton
Summary: Croix and Jakuri go on a trip.Contains heavy spoilers for the first and second games.
Relationships: Croix Bartel / Jakuri | Jacqli
Comments: 3





	1. Sol Ciel

"You're absolutely sure about this, right? I can't guarantee a return trip."

In the town of Rakshek, two people stand in a side alley, away from the crowd that always forms around this time of day. One is a relatively thin young man, with short hair and glasses. He's wearing generic long sleeves and pants; he could fit in with anybody else. The other is a young woman with long black hair and red-purple eyes; she definitely looks rather out of place. Her outfit, a not-so-modest bodysuit, only adds to her strangeness.

"Of course, Mir. I've already told everyone else, so don't worry."

"What about Cocona?"

"She assured me that she could take care of herself. I asked Cloche to look after her, though, just in case…"

"...Good. In that case, I'll go get your ticket. The airship leaves in an hour. I'll leave without you if you're late." As she says this, the faintest smirk can be seen on her face.

"Haha! I'll make sure I'm early, then."

Without saying anything more, the woman walks off, leaving the man alone in the alley.

_...Well, Croix, you can't back down now. I hope I don't look too strange over in Sol Ciel… _

He paces around anxiously. He's normally very calm and collected, but the idea of leaving the land he's grown up in and going to a completely different contininent would unnerve most people.

_...I guess I should go get something to eat before I leave. _

\----------

"Thanks."

_ I ended up with...cookies. I mean, I don't really feel like having an actual meal right now, but...cookies? Not exactly breakfast… _

Regardless, he leaves the street vendor with the bag of cookies in hand. He manuevers in and around traffic, crowded as it may be.

After a few minutes of walking, he arrives at the local inn. He heads up the stairs, and enters his room for the last time.

_ Right. I should double-check what I'm bringing along. Let's see… _

He opens the large bag sitting in the middle of his room.

_ Spare clothes. Armor. Notebook. Hairbrush. Spare glasses. It's all here… _

Croix glances over to the left, where a large lance rests upon the wall.

_...Well, almost. _

He's tried all manner of ways to fit his gunlance into the bag without disassembling it, and all of these attempts resulted in a resounding failure. With a sigh, he pops one of his cookies into his mouth, then gets to work.

It's not that taking it apart is necessarily complicated. It's actually rather simple. No, the problem is that everything is locked in place with rather heavy metal. Pulling these locking mechanisms up can be very challenging, and even then, you still need to pull the separate parts off, which tends to be a very accident-prone process. Croix has accidentally crushed his hand doing this more than a few times.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of wrestling with it, his gunlance had been disassembled. He packs it into the bag. When he goes to pick it up, though...he finds himself unable to even get it off the ground, much less carry it.

"...Did not...think this through. Well…I guess I'll just...drag it along with me, then…"

He grabs the bag by the rope, and pulls it out the door and down the stairs. The innkeeper watches in confusion as Croix leaves the building.

\----------

"...Did you really lug that all the way here from the inn?" Mir asks Croix, who is now resting on the bench beside her.

"...Yes."

"..."

"...You, uh, want some cookies?"

"Sure."

He hands her the bag of cookies he was carrying. She pulls out one of the cookies, and looks at it for a while.

"Where did you get these?"

"Some person down on the main street sold them to me. I wasn't really paying much attention when I--"

"Gah! They're too hard to bite…"

Croix looks over at Mir, who is holding a still-intact cookie with one hand and covering her mouth with the other.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. How did you eat this, though?"

"Well, I'm used to eating hard candy. I can see how it might be too difficult."

After looking at the cookie for a few more seconds, Mir tosses the cookie away. It doesn't break at all, despite the force.

"...I take it you don't want them, then?"

"I-I didn't want them in the first place...I just thought it would be rude to decline…"

"I wouldn't have been mad or anything. I know you aren't a huge fan of sweets."

"...Hmph."

The two then sit there in silence for a few minutes. Croix leans back with his eyes closed, still recovering from carrying his bag up the steps. Mir simply stares off into the distance, her eyes seemingly fixated on nothing in particular.

"...We should get going. The airship's leaving soon."

"Alright."

Mir starts to head towards the airship dock, which is only about fifty meters away from where they were sitting. Croix, meanwhile, takes some time to get up. After he's finally gotten off the bench, he grabs his bag and begins to slowly drag it along to the dock. He leaves the bag of cookies on the bench.

Mir, already at the dock, waits for Croix to catch up. He arrives at the dock, and before he can say anything, she presents the two tickets to the man at the entrance. After a nod, she walks onto the airship.

"We're up near the front. Come on."

_...Saves me the hassle, at least. _

\----------

"So...any questions?" Mir asks Croix, who is sitting in the seat across from her. They're situated in a first-class seat up near the front of the airship; two large seats with a table in between, along with a window on one side and a curtain on the other. It's been drawn shut.

"Yeah. First...how long is this trip?"

"Sol Ciel is about nine hours from here."

"I see...next, where in Sol Ciel are we going?"

"We'll be going all over the region, but our first stop is Platina."

"Platina...what's it like?"

"Rich and a little gaudy. Most of the buildings are white and gold, even...it's also constructed on the Tower itself. The Knights of Elemia are there, too. They protect Platina, the Tower, and Shurelia, the Tower Administrator."

"H-Huh? Administrator...you mean, like Frelia?"

"Yes. Although, she makes Frelia look normal…"

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll see," she says with her characteristic smirk.

_ As cryptic as ever, Mir…  _ "Right. What's the rest of Sol Ciel like, then?"

"Aside from Platina and the Tower, there's also Firefly Alley, a man-made island that floats right above the Sea of Death."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It is, but nobody there seems to care that much...it's strange. Everything else is part of the Wings of Horus, a floating landmass maintained by a part of the tower called the Plasma Bell. Nemo, the capital city of Sol Ciel, is located on the Wings, along with other towns like Karulu."

"Hmm...sounds like a big place."

"Really? I don't think so."

"Well, you've lived there. Of course it would seem small to you."

"...Fair. There's plenty to explore inside the Tower, though…"

"That...also sounds dangerous."

"Of course." For a few seconds, the two merely exchange glances, as if the conversation were continuing silently.

"*sigh* I guess it was good that I brought my lance, then…"

"Heh. You're so cooperative."

"I was going to go along with you, anyway. Letting you get hurt isn't high on my priority list."

"How sweet."

"...Anyways, I'm done with the questions."

Croix leans back and closes his eyes.  _ I'll try to get some rest before we land…  _ Before long, Mir pulls out a book from...somewhere. She begins to write who-knows-what…

A few hours pass. Mir decides to put down her story for now.  _ He's asleep, huh...he looks cold.  _ Croix is shivering pretty severely; the cabin is quite cold, as the Towers' atmospheric control functions don't extend this far out.  _...Jeez. Am I really doing this? _ She quietly crawls across the table, over to Croix's seat. Once there, she moves herself very close to him. She can easily hear Croix's breathing at this short of a distance.

_ You better be thankful for this… _

Mir wraps her arm around Croix's back, then leans over a tad more. Her face is bright red. She closes her eyes and rests, relieved that he didn’t wake up.

_...I don't mind it that much, actually... _


	2. ides

"Attention, all passengers. We will be docking at Platina shortly." The captain's voice rings out from the intercom overhead.

"...Seems like we're finally here," Croix speaks quietly.

"Try not to stand out. People here don't like me very much."

"Huh? Why?"

Mir goes quiet for a bit. Her eyes dart all around the room, finally settling on the window to her right. "I'll...tell you later." She speaks in a very hesitant manner.

"Alright. I take it we shouldn't talk about it in public, anyway."

"W-Well, it's not really a secret here, but…"

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"...Liar."

"Oh? Says the person who wouldn't tell us her name the entire time we were travelling together."

"Hey, I never said Jakuri was my real name."

"You seemed pretty okay with it, though."

"Everybody was fine with it, so I didn't really care. Well, except for one person…"

"I-I just thought it was weird to have dived that far into someone, and not even know her name!"

"Really? Then why didn't you pester me about it?"

"Because I knew I wasn't going to get an answer."

"...Tch."

The airship comes to a sudden halt. Shortly after this, the door on the end of the ship opens. It's loud enough for nearly everyone to hear.

Mir stands up. "Let's go," she says before passing through the still-closed curtain. Croix takes a few moments to collect himself before leaving.

_...I'm not feeling good about this. Are the people here just mean? Is Mir just too cold to people? Or...And she said something worrying about the Administrator, too…_

Shaking off his concerns, Croix catches up with Mir in the hall. They pause in front of the opened door.

"Ready?" Mir asks.

"...Yeah."

The two step out. The change in lighting is intense; Croix instinctively shades his eyes using his hand. Mir is unfazed, however. The two take a few steps over, mostly to get out of the way of the door.

"It sure is bright," Croix says in a slightly irritated voice.

"Well, we are pretty high up," Mir responds. "We're much closer to--"

"MIIIIIIIR!" From far away, a young girl's voice rings out. It seems to be getting closer.

"...Wonderful." Mir's relatively upbeat demeanor from earlier vanishes in an instant.

"Uh, Mir?"

"Shut up."

_...I was right, unfortunately._

Before long, the girl runs up to Croix and Mir. Her long, white hair makes her stand out. Between the strange hair and her blue knee-length overalls, she ends up looking out of place in such a regal city as Platina.

"Mir! You're finally back! Please follow me. We need to-"

"Shurelia. We just got here." Mir speaks with a cold and deliberate tone. "Could you at least let us get to the inn first?"

_H-Huh? Shurelia--you mean, the Administrator!?_

"...'We?'" Shurelia looks around, then notices Croix, who looks just a little pale. "Oh, hello. Who might you be?"

"Uh...nice to meet you, um...L-Lady Shurelia. My n-name is...Croix. I'm from M-Metafalss." He stumbles and trips over his words a fair bit.

"He came back with me," Mir adds.

"I see. That's why you know--wait. Why did you follow her?"

Neither Croix nor Mir answer.

"...Hm? Your faces are all red...Mir?"

Mir stares at Shurelia with a glare that says "Say another word and I'll snap your neck."

"Is he...your...boyfriend?"

"...And what if I say yes?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll be looking through the SH_RAM access logs later, so…"

After a fleeting, almost ephemerally short moment of silence…

" **Was guwo wa 0x vvi…** " Mir begins to sing her song.

"Wha-!? Hold on, Mir!" "M-Mir! Stop! You'll hurt someone!" Croix and Shurelia both shout at the same time.

" **Ruinie yor, ruinie yor, ruinie yor!** " The Song Magic begins to form: a small, swirling mass of darkness.

"Mir, please stop! You'll draw over a huge crowd, especially…" Croix's words reach nobody, drowned out by Mir's intense singing.

" **Dople alroetsue wart yor! Dople na cest amyure yor!** " The mass of darkness begins to solidify into a more concrete form. However, it still writhes and pulsates, as if it can't decide what it wants to become.

"Mir! If you do not stop, I will have no choice but to use my own Song Magic against you!" Shurelia yells.

A pause. Then, Mir's magic begins to fizzle. Realizing this, she releases the energy upwards, where it unceremoniously dissipates. "...You'd accidentally raze the whole area," she says.

"Thank goodness! I seriously thought you were going to hurt someone," Shurelia responds, entirely oblivious to the degrading comment.

"Oh, you were right about that. I was definitely going to hurt you...I wasn't going to make it hurt too much, though."

"...Um...on second thought, we can wait until tomorrow."

"Good. Follow me, Croix. We're leaving."

"Ah, Croix...please be careful."

"Oh, shut it, Shurelia. Do you think I would bring him along if he couldn't keep up with me?"

_...I think it's better for me to just stay quiet right now._

\----------

"...Is it really alright for us to share a room?" Croix asks.

"I don't mind. You were just going to come over to my room anyway, right?" Mir answers with a question of her own.

"W-Well...yeah, but...where do I sleep?"

"In the bed, obviously."

"Then, what about you?"

"...In the bed."

"..."

"..."

"...Huh?"

"W-What!?"

"I-I just, um, d-didn't really think y-you would...w-want to do that…"

"It's n-normal for c-couples to sleep t-together, right!? So…"

"N-No, it's...I mean, I can sleep o-on the floor, if y-you don't-"

"N-No! Can't you take a hint!?"

"...Eh? Y-You mean, you a-actually-"

"Yes, you stupid...jeez."

"S-Sorry."

"Hmph. I don't care anymore...do whatever you want."

"..."

Croix stands up, and walks over to his bag in the corner of the room. He opens it, and starts taking out the many items within. First, he removes the smaller items, such as his brush and notebook. After that, he takes out his armor, and neatly arranges it next to the bag. Finally, is…

_My gunlance...oh, boy…_

Now, disassembling the gunlance is frustrating enough. Reassembling it? Dear Frelia. Instead of having to force the pieces out of the locking mechanisms, the pieces have to be put together, and then, with extreme force, reengage the locks. The leverage one gets on the locking switches is much less than you would on a whole part, and then the parts still have to be kept in place…

After nearly ten minutes of struggling, Croix finally gets the main lance section attached to the gun component. With a loud exhale, he leans against the nearby wall. After a few moments, he says "Hey."

"...What now?" Mir responds. She's still sitting on the bed, looking quite bored.

"I'd like to know why the people here apparently 'don't like you very much.'"

"That? Well...do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Hmm...straightforward. I like it." After stretching, Mir lays flat down on the bed. "...I hacked into the tower, and used it to create hostile entities out of symphonic power. Everybody calls them 'viruses' now. I was...sealed away, before I could do too much damage with them, but...many of them still exist. What's worse, they can't be defeated with traditional methods."

"...Hold on. Sealed away?"

"Yes. Shurelia, with some help, sealed me away in a part of the tower called the Crescent Chronicle."

"...I won't ask why. Don't worry."

"You already know, don't you?"

"I'm not telling. You said you didn't want me to tell you about what happened in your Cosmosphere."

" _Tell me._ "

A long pause. The tension is palpable.

"Why bother answering? You know if I know."

"...You win."

"Thank you for trusting me, Mir."

"I'm only doing this because I hate talking about my past. It has nothing to do with trust…"

"Anyway, back on topic...why can't your viruses be defeated normally?"

"They can turn into data at will, completely safe within the Tower's systems. You need a special Hymn Crystal to disconnect them...PURGER."

"Interesting. Is that why Shurelia was bugging you?"

"Likely."

"Why don't you remove them, then?"

"It's not that simple. I need full access to the Tower to completely remove them."

"Oh. I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"There's one I won't get rid of, too..."

"Huh?"

"We'll run into him eventually, I'm sure."

_...Dealing with her can give me such a headache sometimes._

Croix takes the two remaining parts of his gunlance, and puts them together, preparing to deal with the locking switch.

"I'm going to go out for a bit," Mir says suddenly.

"Alright. See you later, Mir."

Mir jumps off of the bed, and quickly walks over to the door. She opens it, and leaves the room without hesitation.

Croix is alone. He drops his gunlance parts, stands up, and makes his way over to where he put his notebook. However, he picks up a small book next to it instead. He opens it up, and flips to one of the first few pages.

"What was that word she used? **Alroetsue** , I think? I'm not familiar…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it doesn’t look like it, but I swear, they get along really well!


	3. Information

Shurelia leads Croix and Mir into the throne room of Platina. After entering, they gently shut the large door behind them...although it's still quite loud.

"Now," Shurelia says, "I can properly explain what I need you to do, Mir."

"...Why did we have to come here first?" Mir asks.

"Well...some of this information pertains to important functions of the Tower, and should not be exposed to the public."

"But there are knights standing guard in here."

"None of my Knights would try to sabotage the Tower!...I-I think." Shurelia's formal tone-of-voice quickly drops.

"...Uh-huh. Sure."

"W-What about me?" Croix asks suddenly, seemingly a little upset about being left out of the conversation.

"Eh? Um...I trust you...b-because Mir trusts you!"

"...Right."

"Enough with the questions! Please let me explain…"

_Somehow, I thought she would be a little more mature…_

"As you know, the Shadow virus still exists within the Tower, and poses a great danger to the citizens of Sol Ciel. Specifically, it--"

"I don't need the fluff, Shurelia. Tell me what I need to do already," Mir says angrily.

"How impatient...Us three, along with a small group of knights, will travel to the Crescent Chronicle."

"Wait, me too?" questions Croix.

"Of course. We're going to run into monsters on our way down. Someone has to protect me...because the Knights of Elemia definitely can't." Mir answers before Shurelia.

"Excuse me! My Knights are extensively trained in the guarding and protection of Reyvateils!"

"Really? Because that's not what I saw last time I fought one. I nearly wiped you out in one clean hit…"

"N-Nobody could guard against that! It was a giant meteor!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry for asking! Jeez, do you two ever stop bickering?" Croix attempts to break up the argument before it has a chance to get out of hand.

"...Sorry. Let's continue…" Shurelia, after a brief pause, continues her explanation. "Once we make it to the Crescent Chronicle, Mir and I will enter alone. The rest will stand guard outside. Mir...I will sing with you to assist in absorbing the virus."

"...Easier said than done. I need very high-level access to deal with something buried that deep. I could hack in, but…"

"That's not a problem. I will give you full access to the Tower's systems."

"...You're insane. Absolutely insane."

"Mir, if you even think about hurting the humans again, I--"

"She won't!"

Mir and Shurelia go silent, and turn to face Croix.

"...Listen. Mir...you don't want to do anything like that, would you?"

"...My viruses are just like Song Magic, Croix. What kind of emotions do you think they're made of?"

"..."

"Hate. Anger. Disgust...I could completely lose control trying to take them back."

"..."

"I bet you think that I can deal with them now, don't you? Haha! I wish I could believe that."

Nothing. No words. Croix looks down at the ground, in a vain attempt to come up with something to say. Mir stares at him, a fake smile covering up all kinds of emotions. Shurelia only stands where she is with an expressionless face.

...Croix suddenly wraps his arms around Mir, and pulls her into a hug. Still, no words. Her eyes widen; her cheeks turn bright red. Croix looks equally as embarrassed. Shurelia, still watching, covers her mouth with her hand to muffle a shocked gasp.

After a few seconds, Croix finally speaks. "...I believe in you." His voice is quiet, almost hushed. His words are slow and deliberate.

"...Stupid...you stupid…" Mir is as quiet, but she sounds shaky.

Mir breaks off, and brings her head down, avoiding eye contact. "Jeez...I should just burn you right here. I can't believe you just…"

"Sorry. I…"

"Y-You two...you're really…" Shurelia says, with a heavier blush on her face than either of the other two. They don't hear her.

"...The person who rescued me said something just as dumb as what you just said. So...I think you might...have a point."

"T-Thanks. Uh...I couldn't think of anything to say, so...it just k-kind of…"

"...Just try not to do it in public...n-next time."

"Ah...ah...t-they're so cute, I...oh…" Shurelia rambles on, seemingly oblivious to the current mood.

"W-What are you babbling about now, Shurelia!?" Mir notices her, and turns to give her a rather frightening glare.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...you t-two are just, just...so adorable together, I couldn't take it…" Shurelia is clearly struggling to maintain her formal composure.

"...I should have never let you use those Binary Field programs. Croix, let's go." As the two quickly turn around to leave, Mir says "We're heading to the transporter room. Meet us there, Shurelia."

"W-Wait! H-Hold on!" Croix and Mir don't stop. They head out the door before Shurelia can explain any further.

"I didn't think she would react like that. I had no idea she was that kind of person," Croix says to Mir.

"I've never seen her act like that before."

"R-Really?"

"Uh-huh. She's usually very embarrassed about romance…"

"I see...um, you were saying something about the Binary Field earlier."

"I wrote stories as programs a long time ago. Shurelia found them in the Tower's storage, and…"

"Well, now I'm curious."

"Not a chance."

"Haha...That's fine." _I'm pretty sure I've been through one already..._

\----------

"So what exactly does this do?" Croix asks. He's clad in armor, lance in hand. He made a quick detour to the inn to pick them up.

"You ask too many questions…" Mir responds.

"I've been in Sol Ciel for a _day,_ Mir. Of course I'm going to be asking a lot of questions."

"...It converts anything that uses it into information, sends it through the Binary Field, and converts the information back into a physical form on the other end. It's a technique called Flip-Flop Conversion."

"W-What!? Doesn't that mean--"

"You temporarily lose your body in the real world? Correct."

"...Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's perfectly safe. The odds of something going wrong are much lower than, say, Diving."

"Right…"

The two stand around, now quiet. The low, monotonous hum of the Tower's internals can be heard. Croix, habitually, uses the downtime to check his weapon.

_I didn't use it on the way down, so I'm not really sure why I'm checking it. Just in case, I guess…_

Mir, on the other hand, pulls out her book again. She writes for a few seconds, shakes her head, then puts the book away.

"...I hear something," Mir suddenly says.

"Huh? Is it Shurelia and her knights?" Then, a loud, screeching noise, followed shortly by a crashing sound.

A large mechanical orb flies through the door, breaking it entirely. A few smaller ones fly through the hole after it.

"You know what to do, Croix," Mir yells while taking position near the other end of the room.

"H-Hold on! What are these things!?" Croix shouts, as he quickly picks up his weapon and moves to defend Mir.

"Viruses in control of Tower guardians."

"Then why don't you tell them to stop!?" As he yells, the smaller robots begin to fire energy blasts, which are blocked with little effort.

"I'll explain later, shut up and protect me!"

_Right. Enemies I've never fought before, and this place is small...I could easily get overwhelmed._

" **Was i ga ennala hers tes zodal.** " (I want them to die, now) Mir begins to sing. Her voice is quick and aggressive, but not loud. An image of ELMA, Mir's 'pet,' begins to form.

" **Den ma guwo wa na beja mea.** " (But I won't dirty myself, no) _It seems the small ones need a good amount of time to recharge. What about the big one, though?_

" **Bister mea, stelled en re stelled sos mea.** " (Go, my slave, work and tire for me) ELMA's form is slightly clearer now. Croix, noticing that his enemies appear to be open, charges forward and stabs at one of the small robots. It attempts to evade, but it's thrusters are too slow, and the side of its shell flies off from the impact.

" **Was i ga haf yorr, en na papulipua mea.** " (You owe your life to me, so don't complain) _The small ones are physically frail...Good._ As his follow-through finishes, Croix notices, out of the corner of his eye, a bright light. One of the small robots is moments away from firing, and it's aimed directly at him. It fires…

" **Ma num wa gyen utabi yorr aiph zodal** " (If you die, I'll replace you, so don't worry) _Gah! It went after me!? That's good, but why didn't they go after her?_ The blast is clearly damaging, but Croix has taken worse. He barely flinched. Raising his lance, he aims it at the enemy that just fired at him. He fires some light shots at it while strafing back to Mir's position.

" **en stelled yanje tes kierre zodal yor.** " (Throw yourself at them until your last breath) The illusion of ELMA continues to solidify. Croix stays by Mir, observing his opponents; it's clear that there are too many enemies to take on one at a time and succeed.

" **Ma guwo wa kil yor aiph re heighte hers.** " (If they lay a finger on me, I'll kill you myself) As the small robots continue to recharge and fire, the big robot suddenly begins to act. Amidst the auditory chaos, it sounds an alarm for about a second.

" **Oure, yorr chs ganna cecet mea.** " (So, at least try to make a good shield) _Huh? Did the big one do something? I should watch out…_ Croix continues blocking the robots' energy blasts. During the downtime, he tries to damage the enemies by firing at them. However, because he must fire at a low power to avoid debilitating recoil, it doesn't do a whole lot.

" **Bister mea, zethpa en re zethpa sos mea.** " (Go, my slave, rend and be rent for me) Soon, two more small robots fly in from the opening behind the large one, making six enemies in total. ELMA looks real enough to touch, now.

" **Was i ga knawa qyon yor, na knawa murfanare yor.** " (I don't care what you feel or think, only what you do) _Damn. More? At this point, all I can do is block and wait...please hurry, Mir._ When the new robots reach the old ones, they shake a bit, before lining themselves up.

" **Was i ga yorr beja sos mea, sor wis qyon yor.** " (Be sullied in my place; that is your only use) The small robots adopt a firing pattern. They fire sequentially, from one direction to another, meaning that the earliest one is recharged by the time the last one fires. Truly, all Croix can do now is guard…

"Mir! I don't know how long I can keep this up!" he shouts, while continuing to weather an endless barrage of energy blasts.

" **Yorr re swant ware kil hers nor zodal!** " (Your only solace is death, be it you or them!) With a loud finale, Mir ends her song. The image of ELMA, now perfectly visible, roars and flies up into the air. After hanging there for a brief moment, it flies down at an incredible speed. It launches itself directly at the large robot. When they collide, an energy explosion is created, which only narrowly avoids reaching Croix and Mir. When the blast fades, the small robots are only piles on the ground, while the large one is falling apart.

Croix charges forward, burying his lance directly into the nearly-destroyed robot's center. After some sparks fly, it collapses onto the ground with its brethren.

"Croix! Are you okay?" Mir rushes to Croix's side; he's kneeling on the ground and breathing very heavily. His lance remains stuck in the robot's scrap.

"Yeah...fine. Just...tired…"

"Right. Rest here, then." Mir, confident in Croix's self-assessment, steps over to where his lance is. Using both arms, she pulls it out from the scrap, and inspects it.

"...This thing was barely scratched. Impressive." Croix doesn't respond. He's back-first on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

" **...Infel yor,** " she murmurs under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to headcanon that, ever since the ending scene in ATII, Croix and Mir sometimes talk to each other in Hymmnos, because basically no one else will understand.  
> ...No, I’m not weird. Why do you ask?


End file.
